Phantasy Star Alternate
by Azure Emperor
Summary: PSI: What may have happened if Alisa Landale and her companions rushed straight to LaShiec?
1. Prologue: Decisive Battle

**Phantasy Star Alternate**

Originally published on Fringes of Algo June 21, 2008

_Prologue: Decisive Battle_

(AW 342, the Castle in the Sky, somewhere above Palma)

He sensed their presence in the castle, slowly approaching. Monster upon monster was loosed upon them, but the four valiantly fought their way through.

LaShiec knew that they would soon arrive. He was ready for them. He _had_ to be- after all, they had prepared for him, gathering the legendary laconia equipment, as well as learning ancient magic.

"Dark Force, give me strength," he muttered as he rose from his throne. Slowly, he adjusted his armor, maneuvering it in place in order to properly convey his image of "LaShiec, High King of Algo." He then grabbed his jeweled scepter from its recess in his throne, thumping it once on the floor.

"I am ready for you," he hissed, half to himself.

And not a moment too soon- a small yellow Musk Cat skittered into the throne room, clutching a silver blade in his mouth. The cat hissed in anger before shouting, "He's here! He's up here!"

There were footsteps. LaShiec noticed first a blue-haired man swaddled in white robes, then a very tall blonde man trailing the cat. The man in white held an elegant-looking staff, while his companion hefted an axe into combat position, its blue-green blade shining in the afternoon light.

And then LaShiec noticed _her-_ a beautiful young woman striding past the two men, her crimson lips curling into a frown as she came to a stop. Her sapphire eyes burned with barely restrained anger as she yanked a longsword free of its scabbard. Like the axe, the sword was wrought of blue-green metal.

"Ah, at last, you have arrived," LaShiec started, taking a step towards the group of four. "Myau, Lutz, Tairon... and Alisa."

"Your reign's at an end, tyrant!" The blonde boomed, his body tensing. "We're gonna put you in a grave, just like all the others you've had silenced!"

"You don't say. You think your precious laconia weapons and Esper magic are going to stop me?" LaShiec asked.

"Master Tajima has trained me well," the blue-haired man replied. He tossed his robe's hood back, then raised his staff. "I am ready."

"Prepare yourself, LaShiec!"

"Now, now, do you really think you can defeat me?" LaShiec chuckled as he sized up the group of four, then turned towards the brunette woman. "I shall make you an offer- leave, and you shall have your lives."

"We don't have any intention of turning and running." The woman's defiance was obvious.

"Now, now, Alisa Landale... let me finish. Your friends shall have everything they ever wanted- good food, good jobs, freedom to travel across Algo, and all the Meseta they'd ever want. And you, my dear Alisa... you shall never want for anything ever again."

"All I want right now-" Alisa raised her laconia sword, pointing the blade at LaShiec's chest. "Is to avenge Nero!"

"Nero? Ah, your brother. As I was saying, my dear Alisa, you will never want for anything ever again- your brother will be safe and sound, and you'll be living a nice, luxurious life. All you have to do..." He leaned towards Alisa, casually sidestepping her sword. His lips curled into a sadistic smile as he continued, "...is become my queen."

"What!"

"Every king needs a queen, you understand. With all the expertise you have in combat, and all the magic you know, combined with your tremendous beauty..." LaShiec laughed again, and Tairon resisted the urge to drive his axe clean through LaShiec's skull. "...You would be my perfect queen. We could rule Algo together... _forever._" He waved his hand, and a tiara appeared on Alisa's head. "What say you, my dear?"

Alisa replied not with words, but by swatting the tiara to the ground, where Myau promptly sent it rolling across the throne room, where the tiara span itself to a halt at the foot of LaShiec's throne. Shrugging dismissively, LaShiec raised his staff. "Very well, then," he said. "You shall soon see the grave error in your judgement!"

Immediately, Lutz pointed at the king, the head of his staff glowing bright green. "**Hewn!**" he cried out, summoning waves of wind to torrent LaShiec. The tyrant's response was a simple chuckle.

"Such a feeble spell," he said, taking a step closer to the group. "This is how you use magic, Lutz... **Gi Tandle!**"

Massive bolts of lightning arced from his staff, striking the four warriors and knocking them to the floor. Tairon was the first one to stand back up, tightening his grip on his laconia axe. Myau and Alisa shakily rose to their feet, followed by a very dazed-looking Lutz. Sickly black char marks stood out on the front and back of his otherwise white robe.

"Is everyone all right?" Lutz asked. Seeing that his companions were still alive, though badly burned, he sighed with relief.

"Tairon!" Myau climbed up the giant of a man's shoulders, his small body radiating pearlescent light. "**Power!**"

The light flowed into Tairon, and he could feel adrenaline coursing through his body as his muscles stretched and tensed. He rushed LaShiec, swinging his axe with a savage battle cry. His success came with the loud clang of metal on metal, followed by LaShiec's sharp grunt. He took a step back as he propped himself on his scepter.

Alisa saw her opening. Putting her sword away, she formed a small fireball in her hand, then launched it at LaShiec with a shout of "**Flaeli!**" To her surprise, the fireball rippled harmlessly against LaShiec's armor.

Once again, he chuckled. "This is your best effort?" he asked derisively. "I honestly expected better of you all... especially you, Alisa."

"You want my best? You want our best? I'll show you our best, LaShiec!" Alisa replied. She drew her sword, then lunged towards LaShiec with one fluid motion. He was able to dodge the brunt of Alisa's attack, but the laconia blade grazed the wound Tairon's attack had left. Gritting his teeth through his pain, LaShiec raised his staff.

"**Shadow Bind!**"

White lines rose from the polished floor, surrounding Alisa as she backed away from LaShiec. Before she could react, the thread-like lines wrapped around her wrists and ankles, binding her in place. As the spell took effect, the color faded from the threads as they became pitch black.

"What is that?" Lutz asked. "I... I've never seen a spell like that before!"

"And you never shall again..." The head of LaShiec's scepter started to crackle with electricity. This time, he pointed it at Myau. "Now, begone, pesky creature. **Gi Tandle!**"

A thick bolt of lightning crackled into existence, blasting completely through the Musk Cat and sending him out one of the throne room's windows. Odin shouted a universal expletive and ran towards the window, diving head-first after Myau.

"I'm not sure how to get past these bindings, Alisa," Lutz said, keeping LaShiec in his vision. "It seems to be similar to your Magic Rope spell..."

"Then I should just be able to shrug it off, right?" Alisa asked in response. "I'll keep trying- just blast LaShiec for me!"

"Now, now..." LaShiec strode towards the two remaining companions. "You should let him fight his own battles, Alisa... **Hypnosis!**"

Images of spirals, clocks and pocket watches suddenly filled Alisa's mind- for some reason unknown to her, she found the effect tiring. Her eyes closed, and she fell asleep, her laconia sword falling to the floor as her grip relaxed.

"Damn you, LaShiec," Lutz said, raising his staff. "**Gi Hewn!**"

A tornado was summoned into the throne room, buffeting LaShiec. Like Alisa's fireball, the tornado effectively wrapped around his armor instead of smashing the tyrannical ruler of Algo into pieces.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" LaShiec asked Lutz. "I suppose another Gi Tandle should change your-"

"Lutz!"

Tairon's voice came from the window. His head peeked into the room, and Lutz could see Myau's body resting across the warrior's shoulders. "I caught Myau, but he's really hurt... I think we'd better withdraw for now!"

"No. We can't leave Alisa," Lutz replied. "We all leave, or none of us do!"

"Tairon, Myau'll be fine! Let's do what we do best!"

_I am NOT Fastball Specialing you again, Lutz,_ Odin thought as he climbed back into the chamber, setting Myau into a corner. He drew his axe, staring down LaShiec.

"I thought I told you three to leave me or die?" LaShiec asked. "Very well... **Gi Tandle!**"

Once again, Tairon, Myau, and Lutz were electrocuted by LaShiec's powerful spell. Myau was again launched through the window, followed by Tairon and Lutz shortly thereafter. Now alone, LaShiec turned towards his sleeping captive. He smiled malevolently as he started casting another spell.

"**Mind Blast!**"

He could see every one of Alisa's thoughts, standing out on a starry background- memories of her brother Nero, all her anger at LaShiec, all her friends back in Camineet, as well as her entire journey. "Such nice thoughts," he said.

"What do you care?" Alisa's voice replied. "Get out of my mind, LaShiec! Now!"

"What are you going to do to stop me?" LaShiec asked. "Alisa, I told you... all you had to do was accept my offer. I am the High King of Algo, and I always get what I want."

"If you think I'll ever help you-"

Alisa's voice was interrupted by LaShiec touching one of her memories of Dezolis. "Oh, but you shall, Alisa Landale. You may be some champion of the people of Algo, but soon, you shall be my queen. And all I have to do... is change the way you think."

Waves of energy emanated from LaShiec's staff, hurling towards the memories. He continued, "Now my reign shall continue unchallenged!"

_End of Prologue_

Holy freakin' crap! Myau, Tairon, and Lutz beaten badly! Alisa a bad guy now? What will happen to Algo now?


	2. Chapter 1: Licking Our Wounds

**Part One: Licking Our Wounds**  
Originally published on Fringes June 28, 2008

(The Castle in the Sky, above Palma)

As Tairon fell from the window for the second time, his first reaction was to look for Myau. "C'mon, where are ya, little buddy?" he asked during his descent. Off to his side, he could see Lutz raising his staff.

"I don't see him!" Tairon called to the blue-haired Esper. "He can't be that far behind us-"

"-or ahead," Lutz replied. "Myau's lighter than... wait. There he is!"

He pointed towards a rapidly receding yellow speck below them. Tairon immediately tensed his body, leaning forward until his head was pointed towards the ground. Once this maneuver was complete, Tairon started picking up speed, dipping below Lutz in a desperate effort to catch up to the injured Musk Cat.

Trying his best to ignore his own injuries, Lutz started concentrating on a spell. _We're getting closer to the ground,_ he thought. _If I could target this down there, that should... yes._

Sixty feet below him, Tairon reached towards Myau, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck once he managed to catch up to him. "It's all right- I got ya, Myau," he told him. Myau's response was a weak, faint purr. Tairon twisted, moving his body so his back was facing the ground. He caught sight of Lutz, then splayed his arms and legs in an attempt to slow his fall.

"Tairon, prepare yourself," Lutz shouted to him. "**Gi Hewn!**"

A torrent of wind screamed past Tairon's head, barely missing him. Angrily, he shouted to Lutz, "What the hell! Are you trying to make me fall faster?"

"Just trust me!"

The blast from the Gi Hewn spell impacted the ground, sending torrents of wind in every direction. One of the gusts caught Tairon, and his fall was slowed somewhat. He landed with a rough thud, pain rushing through his back and his head. Lutz leaned into another torrent, and landed on his side. His staff bounced to the ground seconds later.

Lying on the ground at the foot of LaShiec's castle, the three defeated warriors groaned in agony. There was an uneasy silence, frequently broken by their audible suffering.

"Urrgh... you could have told me you were going to do that..." Tairon grumbled, trying his best to ignore his pain.

"I didn't think... it was going to work. Arrggh... landing in that armor couldn't have been... all that helpful."

Tairon rolled his eyes. _Of course not,_ he thought. He gave his armor a gentle thump with his fist, then told Lutz, "Laconia armor... accept no substitutes."

Myau wheezed, then slurred, "Lutz... healing... p...please..."

Lutz nodded. He reached for his staff, then began chanting a now-familiar litany. "**Medice!**"

Myau, Lutz, and Tairon were surrounded by bright blue light. As their pains and injuries subsided, the light shifted from blue to white, becoming brighter and brighter as they were healed. Just as the light became too intense to look at, it faded away. They were still hurt, but the majority of their wounds had disappeared.

Myau leapt from Tairon's arms, rolling his front shoulders. "Well, that whole experience sure did suck," he said. "I don't think I've ever been Gi Tandled that hard before!"

"Neither have I," Lutz told him. "When he trained me, Master Tajima had hit me with the Gi variants of each element. His Gi Tandle, though... it just wasn't the same as LaShiec's."

"You mean that old fart's spell wasn't as powerful as LaShiec's?" Tairon asked.

"Not as such, no, Tairon. LaShiec's Gi Tandle was..." He sighed, furrowing his brow as he tried to explain his thoughts to Tairon. "It was _different._ There was something else to it, not just advanced thunder magic."

"Different? How?" Myau asked.

"Like..." He closed his eyes. "It was as if all the forces of Hell itself were being channeled through the arcs of lightning."

Myau and Tairon sweatdropped. Skeptically, Tairon looked at Lutz and said, "So, LaShiec has Hell Lightning."

"That's a rather simplified way of saying it, but yes."

"Hey, uh, guys?" Myau asked, looking around. "Alisa's not here! You don't think LaShiec-"

Lutz and Tairon looked at each other uneasily. They both turned to Myau, and Tairon said, "No. I don't think she's dead."

"Given what LaShiec said, I don't think he'd kill her," Lutz added. "Most likely she's being held captive."

"Then we have to rescue her!" Myau called. He ran towards the gates of the castle. "C'mon, you two!"

"Wait a minute, lil' buddy." Tairon ran up to Myau, picking him up again. "How much magic can you still use?"

"Err..." Myau took a deep breath, then sighed wearily, "I can't really focus enough mana to cast anything, now that you bring it up..."

"And you, Lutz?"

"... I can cast Gi Heal once, but that's it," the Esper told Tairon. "I apologize- the ascent up Baya Mahlay and the castle has depleted me."

"It's fine, Lutz. You gave your best."

"Yet, our best was not enough," Lutz lamented. "We're back outside LaShiec's castle, Alisa's still in there..."

"And that's why we have to go back in there!" Myau told them. "We can't just leave her there, and maybe we'll frag LaShiec once and for all!"

"Myau, we need to go about this with all we've got," Tairon replied. He set Myau back on the ground, then continued, "All we have is our weapons and one Gi Heal between all of us. LaShiec... well, he's got a _bit_ more than that."

"I hate to say it, but... we have to retreat," Lutz realized. "Myau and I both need our spells back."

Myau grimaced, as if deciding whether or not he should re-enter the castle alone. Finally, he sighed and said, "Yeah. But let's not waste too much time! As soon as we're healed up, we head back here and beat LaShiec's ass, all right!"

"Sounds fine by me," Tairon said. Lutz nodded agreement, then said, "I brought a Magic Carpet with us, just in case."

Lutz unrolled the carpet, a tapestry of greens and blues decorated with golden tassels, carefully smoothing the wrinkles from its woven surface. He sat down on it, followed by Tairon and Myau. "Good thinking," Tairon said. "I think Alisa had her flute, anyway."

"I wouldn't have minded another Laerma nut," Myau protested.

"I think that dragon would have, though. I don't think we killed it."

Myau remembered the dragon- a massive golden-scaled dragon, ever circling the skies around LaShiec's castle. He remembered how the fight had ended with the dragon spiraling to the ground, suffering the effects of one of Alisa's Flaeli blasts.

"Yeah. Let's not take unnecessary risks," Myau said, laughing nervously. "The dragon's probably dead, but why fight our way back through Baya Mahlay, right?"

"Good call."

The carpet started to lift off the ground, then flew away in an instant back towards Camineet.

* * *

Her mind was open to LaShiec, and he had full access to each and every moment of her past. He had spent the past few hours - erasing some memories, altering others, changing the context of yet other memories, creating yet others from whole cloth. A scarce few memories had remained untouched: Her parents' faces, as well as her brother Nero's death and her subsequent quest, but those were the sole few memories that were uncorrupted by LaShiec's dark magic.

Once he reemerged from Alisa's mind, LaShiec dismissed the effects of the Shadow Binding spell, then the Hypnosis. Slowly, Alisa awakened, shrugging off the effects of the battle. Shaking her head in an effort to clear away the dull headache she was experiencing, Alisa rose to her feet, looking around the throne room.

"You've finally awakened, Alisa."

Alisa's eyes widened in shock. _LaShiec!_ she thought, as her hand flew to her side, grabbing empty air. The realization came to her just as quickly: _My sword! It's not there!_

"Where's my sword? Where are my friends?" she demanded.

Appearing before her, LaShiec crossed his arms, balancing his staff in his left hand. "Your sword's with your shield, my dear, being polished. As for your friends, well..."

"If you hurt my friends, LaShiec, I'll-!"

"Now, Alisa," LaShiec interrupted her. "Your friends are safe. However..."

"'However' what?"

"They left without you."

Alisa crossed her arms, staring down LaShiec. "I'd expect them to- after what you did, I'd understand if they needed to regroup!"

"No, you don't understand, Alisa... They abandoned you. My scrying caught the whole thing."

"What? What do you mean, they abandoned me?"

"Come." LaShiec waved Alisa towards him. "I'll show you."

He opened his hand once Alisa was close to him, revealing the grounds of the castle. Lutz, Myau, and Tairon were seen sitting on a Magic Carpet, talking amongst themselves.

"We have to retreat," Lutz's voice said. "Alisa's still in there."

"It's fine, Lutz. I think Alisa had her flute, anyway."

"Yeah!" Myau added as the carpet took off. "Let's not take unnecessary risks! C'mon, you two!"

_A masterful piece of editing, if I do say so myself,_ LaShiec thought as the vision ended. Alisa looked at him, a mix of shock, sadness, and horror on her face as she had watched the vision.

"They... they left me," she said. "Myau, Lutz, and Tairon... they left me."

"Some friends they turned out to be, eh, Alisa?"

"_**I TRUSTED THEM!**_"

Alisa dropped to her knees, pounding the floor of the throne room in frustration. "I trusted the three of them, and they just left me here! Did they think I wasn't able to do it? Did they not trust me as their leader? Was this all some sick, twisted joke to them?" With each question, she pounded the floor, before finally breaking down into sobs.

_Ah, the strong. It's so satisfying to see their resolve finally crumble,_ LaShiec thought with satisfaction as he approached Alisa, putting an arm around her. "And they just left you. How do you feel about that?"

"Terrible! Angry! Who else did those three trick? Suelo? The Governor? Luveno? Hapsby?"

"Alisa, were they all in on this plan your friends had? They might well have been... after all, the Governor of Motavia..." LaShiec smiled. "He wrote a letter to Lutz to get you to join him... did you read it?"

Alisa gasped- she hadn't read it. "Why? What did it say?" she asked.

"To bring you here, of course." He was offering the bait, and Alisa had taken it.

"Why... he... and Tairon?" Tears started running down her cheeks. "Was he helping Lutz?"

"Oh, no... it's not like that at all." LaShiec laughed a little. "He and Medusa... they were lovers, of sorts."

Normally, her first reaction would have been "What? Medusa was your minion, wasn't she?" but the thought of Tairon and Medusa in any sort of romantic liaison caused Alisa to say, "That's... that's pretty disgusting. How could they-"

"You _don't_ want to know. They had a lovers' spat, she turned him to stone, and that story about the laconia axe? Partially true, but... he went with you because he needed a pretty face to make Medusa jealous."

"..."

"I know, Alisa, I know. It's hard when what you knew shatters, is it not?" He smiled cruelly, pleased with the lies he was telling her.

"And Myau?"

"An experimentation of Doctor Mad's. Why he gave him that Alshline bottle, I'll never know, but it was fortunate for Myau that he escaped the good doctor, and led you here."

"LaShiec..."

Using the corner of his cape, LaShiec wiped the tears off of Alisa's face. "Now, Alisa... you've had a rough journey. And you never answered my question before."

"What question?" she asked.

"I made you an offer before- your father, your mother, and Big Brother Nero- remember him? I can bring them back to life. The best job in Algo, eating real food- none of that Perolymate or Ruoginin- but actual honest-to-God food! All the luxuries you'd ever want- an LED TV? You must but ask. Video games? High-speed, uncensored Matrix access? Say the word. Freedom to travel anywhere in the Algo Star System, without being hounded by the Polezis? All the Meseta to buy whatever your heart desires? Exemption from taxes?" He leaned towards Alisa, kneeling before her. "Just tell me, and it is yours."

"But... what did you want in return?" Alisa asked. "I can't quite remember."

"Ah, the other half of the bargain. Alisa, anything you want can be yours. All I ask of you... is the honor of becoming my queen."

Alisa sighed. She was still thinking about her companions betraying her, leaving her to die in LaShiec's castle, while they lived on without her another day. "And if I say no?" she asked, cautiously.

"Well, then, I'll just take you back to Camineet. You'll be safe and sound, and this whole, messy affair of roaring revenge will, as far as both you and I are concerned, have never happened." Rising to his feet, he snapped his fingers, and a treasure box appeared between the two. It opened, revealing a tiara made of twisted black metal, decorated with several rubies and black diamonds. "This is one of the sacred treasures of the Old Empire of Algo, before Lord Weiss's time. It's called the Hell Crown. Whomever made it also made a companion piece called the Snow Crown, but my men and I have never been able to find it. Alisa, I'd be honored if you would wear it."

Unsure, Alisa looked at the crown, then at LaShiec, then back to the crown. Slowly, cautiously, she picked up the crown, running her fingers across the polished black metal. Again, her thoughts turned to her friends, and their abandonment and betrayal. She saw her face, reflected upon the myriad gemstones, pondering LaShiec's offer, compared to all the duplicity she had endured since she set out on her journey. Then, she looked LaShiec in the eyes, her own eyes blazing with anger.

LaShiec smiled as Alisa set the Hell Crown upon her forehead, centering its central ruby between her eyes. Immediately, black lightning started to wrap around her. Collapsing, she reached for LaShiec, screaming, but no sound came from her mouth. As she continued to scream, LaShiec started to walk away, and the world turned black...

* * *

"Just like I said before, make yourselves at home, all right?"

An older blonde woman in a multi-stained apron smiled at the two men and their cat, who were slumped all over her living room, each of them with an X-shaped bandage on their forehead. "Rest up all you need, you guys. I've got soda and water in the fridge, and tonight..." She grinned enthusiastically. "We're having stew!"

"Whoooooo," Tairon cheered noncommittally, spinning his index finger in circles.

"Oh, Noah, I've got that robe of yours at the cleaners on McGann Way," the woman continued. "Not many people on Palma who know how to clean and mend Frade fibers, I'm afraid. Tairon, I've got my hubby and my oldest polishing your gear- that shield's gonna shine like a mirror by the time they're done with it!"

"Thanks, Suelo," Lutz said, resting on the battered couch in Suelo's living room.

"Any time- any friend of Alisa's is welcome here! But... you guys already knew that, you know?" Suelo asked. "Oh, uh, Tairon, I've got Janey mending Myau's blanket. Rainy's taking care of Lutz's laser shield... did I forget anything?"

"Our weapons, actually," Myau said, purring contently on the couch next to Lutz. "We need those, too."

"Ah, right! I'll go get hubby to give 'em a sharpening while they're cleaning your armor off!" Suelo clasped her hands, then gave a quick sniff. "Uh-oh, stew's a-burnin'!" she shouted as she dashed off.

Once Suelo had left, Tairon turned to Lutz and said, "I'm surprised Suelo let us back in here."

"Well, we explained it to her- LaShiec outmatched us. Curbstomped us, plain and simple," Myau said before Lutz could reply. "Can't really argue with that."

"I was doing some thinking on the way back to Camineet," Lutz said, after a minute. "There might be something that could help counter LaShiec's magic."

"Oh?" Tairon asked, raising an eyebrow. He sat up on his sofa, then asked Lutz, "What is it?"

"A crystal, of some sort. Master Tajima was telling me about it when he was teaching me... I don't remember anything specific about it, only that he said it could absorb unholy energy. That's what I think was augmenting LaShiec's Gi Tandle."

"Unholy energy?" Myau repeated. "So, where's this crystal, anyway?"

"I don't know. All Master Tajima told me was that an oracle named Damoa might know more of it."

"An oracle... you mean, like a prophet, right, Lutz?" Tairon asked. When he saw Lutz nod, he continued, "Where could we find this Damoa?"

"I'd imagine somewhere LaShiec could keep him easily accessible, like-"

Suddenly, Lutz grasped his head. Gritting his teeth in pain, his eyes forced closed as he took a sharp breath. Tairon and Myau looked at him, concerned, as his pained grimace intensified. Just as soon as the pain started, it left, leaving Lutz shaken.

"Lutz!" "What happened?"

"I... I... I'm fine, thanks," Lutz explained. "It's just... I thought I heard Alisa screaming."

* * *

Just as before, she awakened, faint twinges of pain running up and down her body. With a faint sensation of floating, Alisa felt herself settling down to the center of the throne room's floor. Her vision was blurred as she again shook her head to clear it. In front of her, she could see a figure standing before her.

_Someone's there... but who?_ she thought, as her vision returned to her. Once she could see clearly again, Alisa raised an eyebrow.

She was staring into a mirror, seeing herself looking back. Alisa saw her reflection flicker for a brief second before changing. Alisa's reflection was wearing a black and red satin dress instead of the usual pink skirt and crystalline chain mail she usually wore, and her hiking boots had been replaced with black spike heels. She looked at her reflection for another moment, observing her dress's long black gloves, along with the dark red lipstick she was now wearing.

Alisa raised her arm to her eyes, noticing that she was dressed identically to her reflection. She took a step closer to the mirror, then adjusted the Hell Crown on her forehead. Her hair was set back into a ponytail, pinned in place with a ruby-encrusted hair pin. Then Alisa's eyes, rimmed with sparkling blue eyeshadow, sparkled with a hint of admiration as she inspected herself in the mirror, noticing one more change to her appearance- her chest had ballooned a size larger, and Alisa pushed her newly-enhanced bust upward, admiring their roundness with a satisfied smile.

"You look lovely, as always."

Alisa turned to face the source of the voice, then smiled again. "Reipard," she said, her voice warm, as she approached him.

"Yes, Alisa." He took a step towards her, then told her, "I have something for you."

In his hand was Alisa's laconia sword. Her eyes wandered to it, then to LaShiec's sinister smile. She watched him take another step closer with the sword- _The High King of Algo, he who had my brother murdered, he who brought disaster to Algo, _she thought. _Offering me my sword. He offers me power, magic... riches. All he asked of me in exchange..._

She accepted the sword, then drew it from its scabbard, inspecting the new red varnish that covered the blade. "Thank you, Reipard," she said as she sheathed the sword, then fastened it to her dress. "I humbly accept this sword."

LaShiec smiled, then approached his throne. He withdrew his scepter from its hidden compartment, then turned to Alisa. "Now, then, my dear," he said. "It's time we made an appearance to our awaiting public. The priests are waiting for us, as well."

* * *

Gathered around the kitchen table, Tairon, Lutz, Myau, Suelo, her husband, son, and twin daughters all helped themselves to helpings of stew, while the television in the next room played the evening news.

"It's settled," Tairon said. "Tomorrow, we're heading back to Motavia and having a chat with Tajima. Maybe he might know something about this Damoa guy."

"I'm sure he does," Suelo replied. "If Lutz is right, he knows practically everything."

"I know Mister Lutz is right!" One of the twin sisters, a teenager with pink hair, said. "Mister Lutz knows everything! Oh, I fixed your laser shield! It'll protect you from an-y-_thing!_" She winked at Lutz.

"God, Rainy, you are such a kiss-ass," her purple-haired sister mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Janey!"

"Rainy, Janey, not at the table," Suelo ordered. "Janey, have you mended Myau's blanket yet?"

"Sure have! Found some nice fabric downtown too, so he'll be nice and cool on Motavia, or toasty warm on Dezolis! Oh, you're such a cute Musk Cat, Myau!"

"Who's the true kiss-ass in this family, you or me?" Rainy muttered as Myau sweatdropped.

"Oh, Tairon," Suelo's husband said. "Cutruss and I fixed your armor up, but your shield's gonna need a little more work. Don't worry, we're gonna get it buffed up to a mirror shine for you!"

"Thanks, Arturo," Tairon replied, taking a bite of stew. "Suelo, this is really good."

"As always!" Myau added. "I love fish stew!"

"So did Alisa's brother," Suelo said, her voice hiding a bit of sadness. "Alisa never really liked fish, but she and Nero would always come around, once a week like clockwork, asking for some home-cooked food."

"Maybe he got tired of eating at the spaceport kiosks," Cutruss guessed, looking down at his own stew.

"Or maybe he just enjoys some home-cooking," Suelo said. "Oh, Rainy, could you pick up Lutz's robe after dinner?"

"Sure thing! Anything to help Mister Lutz and keep him safe!" Again, she winked at Lutz, who sweatdropped nervously.

"Err... thanks, Rainy. How much do I owe you-"

"Oh, no, Mister Lutz!" Rainy leaned towards Lutz, her pink hair falling to frame her face. "There's no charge at all. Your Rainy's got it covered, hehe."

_Since when did I have a Rainy?_ Lutz thought as Janey pulled her sister back into her chair. "Please, I insist. You've done so much for us, you and your whole family-"

"Lutz, it's all right," Janey told him. "You all are doing your best to help us, so it's only fair we should help you out however we can."

"Thanks... thanks, all of you," Tairon said. "Where would we be without your help?"

"Decomposing quietly in some mass grave on Dezolis! ^_^" Cutruss replied. His sisters bashed him in the head with massive hammers, then sat back at their respective place settings.

"That was a little uncalled for, you two," Arturo said.

"He asked for it, Daddy! He thought Mister Lutz can't take on LaShiec!"

"I've got nothing," Janey said. "Just that- hmm?" She turned towards the TV, raising an eyebrow. "Dad, turn this up, please!"

Arturo adjusted the TV's volume, looking at the insignia on the screen. "Hrrm, a special report. Probably LaShiec raising our taxes. _Again._"

"You know what? If I knew how to use magic, and could get my hands on some armor and a bigger hammer, I'd help Mister Lutz fight LaShiec! Sooner or later, he's gonna start taxing backyard inventors like me!" Rainy protested.

"Sssh!"

From the television, an announcer said, "Good evening. This is a special report for the sixteenth of June, After War 342. We go now to Lord King Reipard LaShiec's palace at Baya Mahlay, where he has a special declaration for the people of Algo."

"Definitely raising our taxes," Janey said. "God, I wish somebody would just grab a rifle, sit on that hill when he makes an announcement, and blam!" She slapped her hands together. "Blast his head apart like red gelatin! Maybe we can get someone competent on the throne!"

"Sssh!"

On the television, LaShiec stood on a balcony, alongside a woman clad in black, before a priest wearing the black and purple robes typical of LaShiec's new religion. The trio barely acknowledged the crowds beneath him, and the Polezi robots eagerly restrained the crowd beneath him. "And upon this, Reipard LaShiec, High King of Algo, do you solemnly swear?"

"Jesus H.," Cutruss said. "Wonder who the lucky slut's he bribing into bed is?"

"What part of 'Sssh!' do we have problems understanding!" Arturo said.

The group watched the priest ask the woman a question, the reporter's parabolic microphones unable to pick it up. However, they were able to record the woman's response, and it filled the group with a sense of terror as she spoke. "I, Alisa Landale, do solemnly promise my heart and soul to Reipard LaShiec. I shall never _love _another, nor shall I carry another man's child. I humbly abandon the name of Alisa Landale, and from this day forward, I am Alisa LaShiec, High Queen of Algo."

"'Alisa LaShiec!'" Suelo shouted, just as the visicam operator zoomed in on LaShiec's queen. The queen looked down at the people, her nose held slightly in the air.

Arturo, Suelo, Cutruss, Rainy, Janey, Lutz, Tairon, and Myau all sat, staring slack-jawed at the television, sweatdropping as LaShiec pronounced, "From this day forward, Alisa is my lawful queen! Together, she and I will continue to guide Algo into her new era of peace and prosperity!"

"Alisa married LaShiec?" Suelo said, unable to believe what she had just seen and heard. "She told me she was leaving Camineet to _kill_ him!"

"What did LaShiec do to her!" Cutruss demanded.

"I... I don't know," Lutz said. "I can only imagine it was something terrible."

Tairon and Arturo had to turn away from the television as LaShiec and Alisa kissed. "Tomorrow, we're going to Motavia. Lutz, Myau, we're gonna find Damoa. We're gonna get that crystal from him. We're going to get back to LaShiec. And we're going to take him apart... in alphabetical order."

LaShiec and Alisa pulled away, and she mouthed "I love you" to LaShiec. Suelo and her family could only watch the telecast, wondering just what had happened to the determined young woman who desired nothing more but to kill LaShiec.

_End of Part One_

Myau, Tairon and Lutz set forth in search of Damoa and his enchanted crystal, while LaShiec, with his new queen Alisa, seeks to tighten his grip on Algo! Where could Damoa be? What of his miraculous crystal? Will the three be successful in defeating LaShiec? Or will LaShiec and Alisa sit forever on the twin thrones of Algo?


	3. Chapter 2: Mission to Motavia

**Part Two: Mission to Motavia**  
Originally published on Fringes July 5, 2008.

(Suelo's house, downtown Camineet)

"For those of you just tuning in to Camineet One now, the High King of Algo, Reipard LaShiec, has just announced the coronation of his queen, Lady Alisa LaShiec..."

Eight jaws slacked, sixteen eyes bugged out, all focused on the television as the news announcer continued, "Not much is known about this lovely young lady, only that she is seventeen years old, and was raised in Camineet-"

Suelo turned the television off, then sighed wearily. "How could Alisa do this?" she asked. "LaShiec sent his enforcers to kill poor Nero... he made her father disappear last year... what reason could she have for marrying him?"

"I don't know," Lutz replied. "Through the entire time we traveled with Alisa, she was quite sincere about killing LaShiec."

"Of course she was! LaShiec practically orphaned the poor girl!" Suelo clenched her fists, took a deep breath, then glanced up at Lutz. "I'm sorry, Lutz. This whole Alisa thing... it's just _strange,_ that's all."

"It's all right, Suelo," Tairon told her. "This is just as hard for us as it is for you, too."

"Heya, guys?" Myau asked. "Maybe we should turn the TV back on- LaShiec might be saying something about Alisa!"

"It's all right, I got it!" Cutruss shouted, standing from the dining table. He turn the television back on, then sat back down just as the image of Alisa and LaShiec appeared on the screen, accompanied by the newscaster's voice.

"-tuning in, High Queen Alisa LaShiec's first proclamation since her coronation was an increased Polezi presence in downtown Camineet and Parolit, starting tomorrow morning. High King Reipard has given this proclamation his full support, and-"

"What!" Rainy shouted. "More robot cops? This sucks!"

"I know, Rainy," Suelo said. "We'll be fine, though. Don't worry."

"And don't try to scrap one of them for spare parts," Janey added. Rainy and Suelo glared at her.

"I won't! There's nothing user-serviceable under all that armor, anyway." Rainy's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh, Mama! If there's gonna be more Polezis, I'd better go pick up Mister Lutz's robe!"

Suelo sweatdropped as Rainy rushed out the front door, nearly knocking her table setting over. "...I already told you to pick it up after dinner," she told the empty setting.

"It's all right, Mom," Janey replied. "I remembered to fix up Myau's blanket, because _I'm_ the _good_ daughter!"

"C'mon, Cutruss," Arturo interrupted. "We've got a shield to polish for Tairon."

"All right, Dad." The sandy-haired young man stood up, following his father out of the dining room.

Janey looked at Myau, smiling cheerfully. "Let me go get that blanket for you, Myau," she said, leaving the dining room. The only voice that was heard was the newscaster, talking about Alisa and LaShiec.

"-expected to make an announcement regarding the tax rate on Palma, as well as official statements regarding Governor Hope of Paseo-"

"Lutz, you said that Tajima knew something about Damoa, right?" Tairon asked.

"I believe so," Lutz replied. "He only brought him up once or twice during my training."

"Still, it's better than nothing. Hang on one minute..." Reaching through his pockets, Tairon took out a small visiphone. Flipping it open, he said, "I'm glad Alisa insisted I held on to this," he told them. The phone beeped as the warrior pressed a few buttons, then said, "Hapsby?"

"_Bzzzzt. Tairon, is that you?_" the mechanical voice replied. "_How can I help?_"

"There's gonna be more robots in town tomorrow. Think you can drop the _Luveno_ off at Camineet Spaceport?"

"_Camineet Spaceport? I shall try my best, but I believe LaShiec's robots are actively looking for our starship._"

"Oh." Tairon's brow furrowed for a second, then he spoke into the phone, "All right. Mask all the sensor emanations coming from the ship, and try your best to give it a fake system ID number."

The visiphone hissed for a second, then Hapsby's voice came in loud and clear. "_I shall endeavor to do so. ...One moment. Spaceport authorities are hailing the ship._" Dead silence for a few seconds, then, "_All right. I'm landing at bay 65, Tairon. Ask for the _Maelstrom Rider. _Sir, according to all transmissions from the control tower, all scheduled spaceflights for the day have departed. I'm filing flight plans right now- to Paseo on Motavia ex Camineet._"

"Good job! We'll see you in the morning, all right?"

"_Very well, Sir. Please be careful. Hapsby out._"

The link went dead. Tairon closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "Guys, we're gonna leave tomorrow, all right?" he asked his two companions.

"The sooner, the better," Lutz replied.

"Yeah, and the further away from the robots, the better, too!" Myau agreed. "So... all these half-empty plates of fish stew... it seems like such a waste... ^_^"

* * *

At Baya Mahlay, LaShiec and Alisa withdrew into the palace, turning away from the gathered crowd. "That went well, Alisa, my dear," he said. "Looks like the people have accepted their new queen."

"And if they don't, then that's their problem," Alisa replied. She laughed as she felt LaShiec's arms wrap around her from behind. "Now I know why you enjoy being the High King so much."

"Make proclamations, and generally lord it over the people of Algo..." He smiled cruelly. "And if the people don't like being lorded over..."

"Tough shit for them," Alisa finished. "The perks of being a queen..."

"...Or a king."

Alisa's laugh was a seductive murmur, followed by a content sigh as LaShiec gently turned her around, then kissed her lips. She smiled, then whispered, "I don't know what I love more, Reipard... you, or being your queen." She pretended to think for a second, then smirked at LaShiec and said, "You, of course, Reipard."

LaShiec chuckled, then took Alisa's hand. "And just think, Alisa... the best job in Algo, all the Meseta and luxury you'd want... all we have to do..."

"...Is take it from the good people of Algo," she finished for him. "Now, then, Reipard darling... take me home."

"I thought you'd never ask." LaShiec snapped his fingers, and seconds later, a massive golden dragon landed at the top of Baya Mahlay's tower. It snarled as it glared at Alisa, remembering the Flaeli she cast that scarred its wings.

"Keethrax! Keethrax!" LaShiec shouted at the dragon. "Show some respect, damn your eyes! This is your _queen_ you're threatening!"

Irritated, the dragon's gaze turned to LaShiec, staring him down. Finally, the dragon relented. Keethrax looked at Alisa, then lowered himself in reverence. LaShiec climbed onto Keethrax's back, then held his hand to Alisa.

"Alisa, my love, your chariot awaits!" he called to her, waiting patiently as Alisa took LaShiec's hand and climbed behind him on Keethrax's back. "Now, then... to our castle in the sky!"

The dragon lifted off the tower top, arcing towards the now-invisible castle. After a mile's flight, Keethrax completely vanished from sight, as did LaShiec and Alisa.

* * *

Morning came, and with it the hope that the group of three would be able to find Damoa. Groggily, Tairon rolled his shoulders, then rose from the couch he had slept on. Struggling to get his armor on, he said, "Lutz."

"Zzz... Alys, we shouldn't..."

Tairon raised an eyebrow. _Does he think about Alisa that way?_ he thought. _No... he'd never shorten her name like that... He pronounced that Alys name differently, too. Maybe an old girlfriend of his?_ "C'mon, Lutz, get up. We gotta go meet Hapsby."

"Zzzz... Forget what Shorty thinks, Alys... What do you think?" Lutz smiled as he slept, clutching a throw pillow tightly to himself, curled into a fetal position. "Zzz. Chaz, Shorty, whatever..."

With a sigh, Tairon nudged Lutz and said, "Damn it, get up!"

Lutz's eyes opened, and he squinted, focusing on Tairon. "Oh, er, Tairon," he stammered. "I apologize for sleeping so late. Is Myau up?"

"I was gonna wake him next," Tairon replied. "So, uh... who's Alys?"

Lutz sweatdropped. "You know, I... I have absolutely no idea. Evidently someone I met a very long time ago, or someone I'll meet a very long time for now."

Laughing, Tairon clapped his hand on Lutz's shoulder, then said, "C'mon, let's go wake the cat."

Lutz sat up, gathered his clothing, then walked up to Tairon, who was kneeling over a cat bed. "Myau?" Tairon asked.

"Zzz... I love fish! Fish fish fish, yum!"

Lutz sweatdropped as Tairon picked Myau up by the scruff of his neck. "Myau, we're going to leave you behind if you don't wake up! And no fish!"

"What?" Myau immediately woke up, giving Tairon a rude stare. "You're never leaving me behind- not while we've got Alisa to rescue and LaShiec to waste!"

"Right we go, then. Let's go get some breakfast, then head to the spaceport," Tairon replied. He set Myau down, then the three started to leave Suelo's house. They didn't get far before a gentle voice asked, "Mister Lutz?"

"Hmm?" Lutz stopped in the middle of the living room, then turned around. "Oh... Miss Rainy. If our commotion woke you, then I apologize."

"Oh, no, you didn't wake me up." The pink-haired woman smiled as she strode towards Lutz, a bundle in her arms. "You forgot your robe."

"Ah, yes, my Frade mantle," he replied, sweatdropping. Tairon and Myau sweatdropped as well- _after the duel of spells he had fought against Tajima_, they figured, _why would Lutz leave his reward behind?_

Lutz took the iridescent robe from Rainy, then quickly wrapped it in place around him. "There we go," he said. "Thank you, Rainy, and your family, for all you've done for us."

"Couldn't fight LaShiec without you," Myau urged. "Lutz, can we wrap this up? Hapsby's waiting and I'm hungry."

"Of course. Rainy, give Suelo our best. We'll be-"

The rest of Lutz's sentence was cut off as Rainy lunged towards him, kissing him on the lips. Every time he tried to back away, Lutz found his head being pulled back into place beneath Rainy's lips. Tairon and Myau groaned, then fell over.

After a minute, Lutz finally managed to pull away from Rainy. "Rainy, I-"

He was cut off again by another of Rainy's kisses. She murmured in delight as she hugged Lutz, pulling him closer to her. Every time Lutz tried to pull himself out of her embrace, she only tugged him closer. Another minute passed before Lutz once again managed to separate his mouth from Rainy's.

"Look, Rainy," he started to explain. "I understand you have thoughts for me, but we're in a bit of a hurry, so if you'd please-"

Rainy didn't even listen to Lutz as she gave him a third kiss. Tairon rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Geez, listen to her. It's like she's trying to eat a fruit, not kiss him."

"Oh, shush, you. Lutz needs to unwind a bit," Myau told him. "Her sense of timing's _really_ bad, though."

"Look, I don't want to break you two lovebirds up, but we need to get going before the robots show up."

If they had heard Tairon, neither Lutz nor Rainy acknowledged him. Finally, Lutz pulled himself from Rainy for a third time, gasping for breath. "Rainy," he managed to wheeze, "Less tounge, pl- mrrmph!"

Myau groaned and asked, "How long is she going to keep doing this?"

Tairon had had enough. He set one hand on Rainy's shoulder, and the other on Lutz's, then pushed the two apart. "Look, Rainy, I'm sorry, but I gotta borrow Lutz for a few days," he said. "Relax, he'll be back."

"Aww, you're a spoilsport, Tairon," Rainy whined, pushing some wisps of pink hair from her eyes. "Oh, well. Come back soon, Mister Lutz!" she added, blowing him a kiss.

Once the three left, Tairon asked, "Wow, Lutz! What the hell was _that_ about?"

"I... I don't know," the Esper replied. "Tairon, Myau, I apologize profusely. I didn't think Rainy would... hmm? What's this...?"

Myau watched as Lutz pulled a decorated placard out of his robes. "Hey, I've seen one of those before," he told Lutz. "That's a certified road pass! Looks legit, too!"

"Or it's just a really good fake," Tairon added. "...She must have snuck that in your pocket while she was kissing you!"

"...What the hell was she doing with her _hands?"_ Myau mumbled to himself

Lutz sweatdropped. "Tairon, we can discuss this on the _Luveno._ Let's meet with Hapsby."

The two men set off towards the spaceport, with Myau bounding behind them. "Wait up a minute!" he called. "I'm still hungry!"

Rainy watched the three from the porch, sighing as her eyes lingered on Lutz. _Hehe, he's so easy to tease,_ she thought as she opened the front door to head back inside. _Good kisser, toooooh, craps._

Standing in the doorway was a purple-haired woman, her arms crossed. "I said it last night, Rainy, and I'll say it again," she told her. "God, you are _such_ a kiss-ass."

"Well, you said you needed a way to get that road pass into his robe, Janey," Rainy sighed. "Besides, I liked kissing Mister Lutz."

* * *

LaShiec opened his eyes, sighing as he looked at Alisa, who slept next to him, her lips curled into a crimson crescent of a smile. _You know, Ares,_ he thought as he watched Alisa sleep. _It's ironic. You wanted your daughter to be queen of Algo. Now she is. First I steal your throne, then I marry your daughter. I've got everything I want, Ares. All thanks to Dark Force._

Gently, he moved Alisa's arm aside, then climbed from their bed. The slight motion nudged Alisa awake, and she whispered, "Reipard?"

"Oh... sorry to wake you, Alisa. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Mmm... after last night, never better." Alisa laughed, then continued, "Another perk of being your queen, Reipard?"

"Indeed." He watched Alisa climb out of bed, clad merely in a thin nightgown, its pink silk clinging to her body like a second skin. "I told you, you'd enjoy being queen."

"I already am."

The two bathed together, dressed in their vestments, then headed towards the castle's throne room, where a new throne had been installed for Alisa. "My dearest," LaShiec asked as he sat on his throne. "What shall we do today?"

"Hmm..." Choosing to ignore the other throne, Alisa sat down in LaShiec's lap, putting her arms around his neck and shoulders to balance herself. "You know, Reipard, I think we should increase the water tax in Shion. Those peasants-" She spat the word. "-are obviously not paying enough for fresh water."

"They aren't. Another..." He thought for a second. "Five percent should do it, I think."

"Six percent, Reipard. And we'll spend the tax revenue on platinum statues of ourselves in Camineet's central plaza."

"Ooh, I love that idea," LaShiec said. "Alisa, you are as smart as you are beautiful."

Alisa kissed LaShiec, then continued, "After the taxation, we'll send two more squads of Polezis to Camineet and Parolit. And then..." Her blue eyes suddenly blazed with anger. "We go to Paseo and we lean hard on Governor Hope. Demand more tribute from him."

"And if he doesn't, we bomb that precious shortcake factory so high there won't be enough left to take home as a souvenir," LaShiec realized. "Let's send a squad of AndroCops to his mansion."

"Very well." Adjusting her position in LaShiec's lap, Alisa continued, "Reipard, dear, there's just one more problem..."

"Oh?" Stroking Alisa's face gently, LaShiec asked, "Whatever troubles my beautiful wife troubles all of Algo. What's wrong, Alisa?"

"There's the small matter of an illegal starship, commanded by three fugitives from justice," she cooed. "It resembles a commercial spaceliner, but it's painted in red."

"I see. What is this ship's name, Alisa?"

With a cruel smirk, Alisa told LaShiec. "The _Luveno._ And, you'll never believe this..." She smiled as LaShiec played with her Hell Crown. "It's being piloted by my former 'allies.'" She spat the word as if it were poison.

"Ah, them! I'll inform Paseo, Skure, and Camineet Spaceports immediately," LaShiec said. "If they see that ship, they'll take care of it. Anything to make my queen happy. And when my queen's happy-"

Alisa put a finger to LaShiec's lips, silencing him. She finished for him, "And when your queen is happy, her king is happy."

* * *

"Halt! Present your road pass!"

Tairon presented the pass to the robot guarding the walkway to Camineet Spaceport, while Myau and Lutz waited patiently nearby. The other robot said, "State your business."

"Junk traders," Tairon replied. "Based out of Uzo on Motavia. We've been meaning to get back to Motavia and deal with the natives."

"I see." The guard's optics whirred as it scanned the laminated card, which he returned to Tairon after several seconds. "You're okay. Go on through."

The three got on the walkway, which took them to the spaceport. "Every time we come back here," Lutz said, "It always impresses me."

"Me too," Tairon said. "Hapsby's at bay 65 with the ship. Let's get going."

Upon their arrival at their ship, the three were again accosted by a pair of robot guards. "Halt! Please present your passports!" one intoned.

"Oh. Passports, passports..." Tairon groaned. "Where did I put those passports...?" _Damn! I thought private spacers had free reign?_

"Here you go!" Lutz said, handing two passports to the robot guard. _Thank God you forged those for us too, Rainy,_ he thought.

"Where are you two going?"

"To Paseo Spaceport," Tairon told the guard. "Our flight plan's been approved and scheduled, I take it?"

"Accessing... flight plan for ship _Maelstrom Rider._ ...Yes. To Paseo Spaceport," the second guard said. "Passports check out."

"Here you are." The guard returned the passports, then stepped aside. "Pass on through."

"Thank you very much," Tairon said. The three boarded the ship quickly.

"Hapsby, let's get goin'!" Myau called to their pilot. "To Motavia!"

"As you wish. Activating engines... initiating takeoff velocity..." The ship shuddered with the thrust of the engines. "...Securing Ice Digger, Land Rover, and Hydrofoil... Vertical attitude initiated. Stand by."

Lutz and Tairon settled down into their chairs, with Myau perched on Tairon's lap. "Soon, we'll be back on Motavia," Tairon said.

"And face-to-face with Master Tajima again," Lutz added.

"Err, Sirs?" Hapsby asked. "There's a bit of a problem."

"What?" Tairon asked. "What's the problem?"

"Unmanned fighters have I/A missile lock on our vessel. Hailing... they are demanding we land immediately."

"Fuck that!" Myau said. "We're going to Motavia! We're not gonna let some tin can fighters stop us, right?"

"Wait a minute," Lutz interrupted. "Hapsby, does this ship have any weapons?"

"Accessing... there are available gun nodes for ten weapons, Lutz. All of these mounts are currently vacant, however."

"Damn! How about shields?" Tairon asked.

"Nothing. No neutralization fields, energy shields, or quarter shields have been installed, Sirs. Doctor Luveno also did not think to install ablative armor."

"Maybe we should have sprung for the deluxe model when we bought this," Tairon groaned.

"I shall try my best to break the missile lock, but-"

Just at that moment, a loud buzzing came from the ship's main console, accompanied by a light marked "GENERAL ALARM" flashing. As Tairon looked out the window, he saw the cause of the alarm: One of the fighters had just launched a missile, its twin contrails lancing towards the _Luveno_ as it raced towards the large ship.

_End of Part Two_

With their ship in danger, can the three warriors get to Motavia to meet with Tajima? Can Hapsby outfly four unmanned fighters? What are LaShiec and Alisa's plans for Algo? Will Rainy and Lutz ever see each other again?


	4. Chapter 3: In Jeopardy

**Part Three: In Jeopardy**  
Originally published on Fringes July 15, 2008.

I/A missiles- according to the classified information Nero Landale was able to pass along to the organized resistance against LaShiec, they were high velocity, short-range missiles capable of penetrating up to four inches of laconia armor, delivering an electromagnetic pulse before exploding. One missile was able to easily destroy the _Luveno_.

Tairon couldn't help but dwell on this knowledge as Hapsby chimed in, "Sirs! Another fighter has launched a missile!"

Two I/A missiles could not only easily destroy the _Luveno_, but completely incinerate most of the falling debris. This thought also crossed Tairon's mind, and he wasn't too fond of the imagery it provided.

"Both missiles will strike us in twenty seconds." Hapsby manipulated a few controls, then called back, "Everybody, brace yourselves!"

Immediately, Lutz and Tairon buckled themselves into the ship's acceleration couch, grabbing the impact webbing above it. Myau looked first to Tairon, then to Lutz, then back to Tairon and asked, "Hey, guys? Where am I supposed to sit?"

"Where you usually do!" Tairon replied. "Here- get into the impact web!"

"And hold on tight!" Lutz added.

"Ten seconds... hold on tight back there!"

The small robot commanding the _Luveno_ tapped a few more controls, then shucked the ship's control stick to the right. The _Luveno_ pitched wildly to the right, charging forward and around one of the fighters. The missiles followed their new trajectory, arcing ever so slightly towards their quarry.

At the ship's controls, Hapsby quickly calculated the velocity of the missiles, the _Luveno_'s trajectory, and the fighters' bearings and trajectories- all important for getting the ship and all aboard to safety. After some number-crunching, Hapsby pushed the control stick forward. The ship dipped as Palma's surface suddenly filled the control cabin's window.

"Wha... Hapsby, is that Camineet Spaceport!" Myau asked, sweatdropping. "We're not gonna survive landing like this!"

"I don't think he's landing, Myau," Lutz told him. "I think he's trying to evade the missiles."

"Yeah, but... a big crash, big fireball, kill everybody in the spaceport?" Myau sighed. "We're gonna make LaShiec look like Lord Weiss at this rate!"

"Lutz, I think you're right," Tairon interrupted before Myau could say another word. Turning towards the Musk Cat, he continued, "And Myau, never use those two names in the same sentence. Ever. Again."

The ship bucked again, this time nosing up. There was a deafening boom from outside the ship, and Hapsby reported, "One of the missiles is gone- it impacted with one of the fighters!"

"How?" Tairon asked.

"There's a defect in its tracking system. I maneuvered the _Luveno_ so that the fighter was between us and the missile."

"Uhh... what about the other missile? I'm sure that wants to blow us sky-high, too!" Myau demanded, nervousness creeping into his voice.

"I have a plan. I can improvise a chaff field by ejecting all the spare parts from the service deck." Hapsby whirred, then continued, "If I'm right, that should confuse and prematurely-"

"Hapsby, dissertation later, preservation now!" Tairon ordered. "Dump the spare parts!"

"Of course." As soon as Hapsby pressed the button, everyone could hear hydraulics hissing somewhere within the ship, followed by an alarm klaxon blaring. Below the four, the _Luveno_'s stock of replacement parts poured from the service deck towards the spaceport. The massive cloud of metal had caught the missile's attention. Sensing a larger target than the _Luveno_, the missile dipped lower to follow the rain of parts.

"...Closing service deck access ramp," Hapsby told the passengers. "Engines are ready... we're heading to Uzo Island on Motavia, yes?"

"Hold on..." Lutz urged. "Hapsby, wait four seconds, then take off for Paseo."

"Strange, but... as you wish."

Four long seconds passed, then Hapsby fired the ship's engines. Just at that moment, the other missile exploded, trapped in the moray of raining nuts, bolts, and complex circuit boards. Concealed by the explosion, the _Luveno_ quickly left Palma's atmosphere.

To anybody watching from the proper angles, it had appeared that the _Luveno_ had been destroyed. Hundreds of passengers and spaceport employees rushed to visiphones, calling Emergency Services or various news outlets.

Up in the Luveno, Tairon sighed, relieved. "Well, that's over," he said. "Myau, you can let go of my hands now."

"Right. Sorry 'bout that, Tairon!" The yellow cat leapt from the impact webbing towards the ship's acceleration couch, while the two Palman occupants unbuckled themselves.

"We shall approach Paseo Spaceport in three hours," Hapsby said. "Should I announce our arrival?"

"Wait a minute, Hapsby. Re-alter the system ID- the number we're using now is useless, now that half of Algo thinks we're shrapnel on the tarmac in Camineet."

"Adjusting. Shall I unmask the sensor emanations from the ship, Tairon?"

"Yeah. We want to look legitimate." Taking a deep breath, Tairon added, "Think we can do something about altering those wavelengths also, Hapsby?"

"I believe so."

Hapsby immediately set to work on reidentifying the ship. Myau stretched and said, "Hey, guys! You know what would have been really helpful about two minutes ago? Weapons!"

"Urgh, here we go..." Tairon groaned.

"Myau, you were there when we spoke to Doctor Luveno," Lutz told him. "We were lucky enough to get the funds to have this ship built."

"I know, but... he could have at least thrown a couple rack drivers in, you know? Some quark beams, those MEGA-class missiles you told me about last year, Tairon... Stingy jerk could have at least comped us some ablative armor or shielding so we could fill those gun nodes!"

Lutz sweatdropped. Tairon picked Myau up and said, "Hey, the Kerouac class comes with those standard, Myau. Luveno had the blueprints for a Kerouac class in his lab, so that's what he built for us. Besides, even if he did have enough starship weapons to wage war on Algo, how were we going to pay for it?"

"Uh-"

"Myau, I'm no technical genius, but..." Lutz stood up, clutching his Psycho Wand. "Even a simple starship cannon costs fifty thousand Meseta."

"We did the best we could for twelve hundred Meseta, I guess," Tairon added. "Myau, the kind of weapons you want on the ship, those would cost... _a lot._ Millions of Meseta. You know how many people in Algo have that kind of money?"

With a sigh, Myau realized, "...Yeah. And I don't think he's willing to spend it to help us kill him."

* * *

Myau was wrong, but only slightly. Out of the seventeen billion assorted Palmans, Motavians, Dezolians, Musk Cats, and state-registered Androids inhabiting Algo, two people had enough money to build Myau's dream spaceship.

Unfortunately for him, those two people were Reipard and Alisa LaShiec. LaShiec sighed as Alisa shifted her weight in his lap, giving him a soft kiss on his cheek. She smiled and said, "Reipard, darling, I think we should increase the energy tax on the Dezolian colonies."

"Hmm." LaShiec scratched his chin in thought. "Increase it to ten percent... we can put some of that into robot construction and funding the military. And the rest..." He smiled at Alisa. "Let's just say the people of Skure will be paying for my wife's jewelry for the next few years."

Alisa laughed, then pulled herself closer to LaShiec. "You treat me too well, my love," she breathed.

"I treat you as a queen deserves to be treated," LaShiec replied, bringing his lips to Alisa's. She replied to LaShiec with a satisfied murmur as he brought his arms around her. The two kissed, pulled away from each other, then kissed again, repeating the process for about a minute before the sound of footsteps echoed through the throne room.

"Your Majesties!" a Polezi intoned as it entered the chamber, kneeling before LaShiec and Alisa. "I bring urgent news from Camineet Spaceport!"

"Well, then," Alisa said, looking down at the robot. "Speak, robot."

"The illegal starship _Luveno_ has just been destroyed by unmanned fighters as it attempted to take off this morning. There are no survivors. We're still combing the wreckage for anything salvageable."

"Very good!" Both the king and queen smiled at the news. LaShiec continued, "Anything that identifies resistance members, analyze. Have anyone identified arrested and shipped to Triada Prison. If you find anything salvageable, bring it to the factory at Baya Mahlay."

"As you wish, my Lord."

"And," Alisa told the Polezi, "Any body parts or other remains of the passengers are to be publicly displayed in Camineet's town square- a public warning to any who dare oppose us."

"As you wish, my Lady," the Polezi replied, before turning and leaving the throne room. Once they were alone again, LaShiec looked to Alisa.

"Well, Alisa, it seems your friends are dead," he said. He started to say more, but Alisa brought her lips to his, muffling his question. Once LaShiec stopped talking, Alisa broke the kiss, putting a finger to his lips.

"Now, Reipard," she whispered. "They were never my _friends_ in that sense, if they fled at the first sign of danger. Still... I am grateful. If they hadn't ran away like the cowards all resistance members are, then..." Her crimson lips formed a warm smile, and her sapphire eyes sparkled with admiration as she leaned towards LaShiec. "I never would have become your queen, and for that..." She kissed LaShiec, then said, "I..."

Another kiss. "...am..." And a third. "Eternally..." She kissed LaShiec again, a bit longer than the previous kisses, then told him, "...and I _do _mean 'eternally,'... grateful."

"You honor and flatter me, Alisa dearest," LaShiec replied. "Now that the biggest threat of the resistance is over, we can relax for a bit."

"For a bit. After all..." A cruel chuckle escaped Alisa's lips as she continued, "There is the small matter of the resistance cell in Eppi Forest that has to be dealt with. Their camp is hidden deep within the forest, but..."

"But? What do you mean, Alisa?"

She winked at LaShiec. "I can tell the robots _exactly_ how to get there..."

For the next hour, Alisa gave LaShiec detailed directions to the rebel camp in Eppi Forest, and gave names of everyone who had helped her- "Co-conspirators with the now-deceased Myau, Tairon, and Lutz," she called them. "They should be dealt with."

"Swiftly," Alisa whispered, giving LaShiec another kiss. "As the High King of Algo is expected to..."

* * *

"We are now approaching Paseo Spaceport on Motavia. Expected to land in three minutes," Hapsby said. "If you do not mind my asking, Uzo Spaceport is lesser-known than Paseo Spaceport. Why not land there?"

"Because, Hapsby, we need to hide in plain sight," Lutz replied. "And where else to do that than in the busiest spaceport on Motavia?"

"That, and we're looking for Tajima," Tairon replied, settling himself on the ship's acceleration couch. "His cave was by the Great Sea, right?"

"Yes. We'll have to drive across the antlions' nests, though."

Hapsby bleeped, then worked on some controls. "Understood. I'm unsecuring the Land Rover, and having the automatics refuel it," the tiny robot told his passengers. "It should come in handy."

"Thanks, Hapsby," Tairon said. "We'll have the spaceport workers unload it once we land."

Just as Hapsby said, the _Luveno_- under the newly assumed name _Ulysses_- settled down at Paseo Spaceport. Two valets drove the Land Rover out to the outskirts of town, handing Tairon a numbered ticket. "Don't worry," the valet said. "We'll hold her for you until you're ready!"

"Thanks a lot," Tairon replied as he, Myau, and Lutz disembarked from their ship.

"This planet's still really hot," Myau groaned. "And there's no fish."

"I know it's hot, Myau," Lutz replied. "I was born here, and I hate the heat, too. Still, think of the people who live in Skure and Akuba. I'm sure they hate the cold."

"Lutz? I was born on Dezolis," Myau told the Esper. "And **I** hate the cold. Palma's so great."

"All right, we can discuss the temperature later," Tairon said, starting to walk to the spaceport's moving sidewalk. "Right now, we're looking for Tajima."

Once Myau and Lutz joined Tairon on the sidewalk, a sign blinked to life near them. "Good afternoon, from the Paseo Tourism Board! The time is now 1:35 local time, seventeenth of June, AW 342! The outdoor temperature is now 109 degrees Fahrenheit, with no clouds in the sky. Tourists are advised to drink plenty of water and stay indoors as much as they can-"

Tairon sighed. "109 degrees, and the sun beating down on the sand... this is gonna be another looooong trip."

"Actually, this is one of the cool spells," Lutz corrected. "It can get as hot as 135 degrees during the dry season." Tairon sweatdropped.

"I thought we were gonna talk about the heat later?" Myau asked.

"It's later. At least the Land Rover's got air conditioning."

"That is true." Looking at Paseo, Tairon caught a glimpse of the Governor's mansion, sitting on a hill overlooking Paseo. "Think we should talk to Governor Hope?" he asked. "He could get us some more help."

"Besides another nightmare? No, thanks," Myau replied.

"I think we should," Lutz told Tairon. "I don't know why, but... there's this foreboding feeling surrounding him. It's like... I think his life might be in danger."

"What makes you say that?" Tairon asked.

"If Alisa still has her knowledge of our journey, she'll know LaShiec and Governor Hope didn't get along all that well. And now that she's in a position to tell LaShiec as much, he might send some of his robots to kill him."

"You really think so?"

"I believe so, at any rate." As if to underscore his point, Lutz started walking down the moving sidewalk, the unspoken indicator to his comrades that time was of the essence. Myau bounded behind him, followed by Tairon a second later.

_End of Part Three_

Following their supposed deaths, Myau, Lutz, and Tairon can now operate under LaShiec's radar. But with a squad of AndroCops on their way to the Governor's mansion, who will arrive there first? Can Governor Hope help the three on their journey? What will happen to the citizens of Eppi? Will Suelo and her family survive Alisa and LaShiec's wrath?


	5. Chapter 4: Hack and Slash

**Part Four: Hack and Slash**  
Originally published on Fringes July 23, 2008.

(Governor Hope's mansion, High District of Paseo)

Through the corridors and rooms adjoining the office of Governor Jonathan Hope, several voices could be heard, crying out in protest and denial at some unknown outrage. The various maids, servants, and androids working in the mansion, despite being able to clearly hear the laments coming from the office, did nothing to placate them, or even to investigate.

They had heard them repeatedly over the course of the past few years- as the governor explained, it was a simple radio drama based on a television series- "Starring most of the original cast! ^_^" he was quick to add.

Sighing as he leaned back in his easy chair, Hope listened as an electric violin blared from the radio, followed by a male voice announcing, "Time Gal: Nightplanet, Part Five was written by Howard Rossman, and directed by Richard Bloom. It starred Nicole Carson as the Fourth Professor Luna, Karen Milene as the Fifth Professor Luna, Morris Wall-"

_Knock knock knock._ The knocking at his door drowned out the radio broadcast. Hope turned the radio off, then called to the door, "Yes?"

"Governor Hope, there's a small group to see you," a female voice replied back. "They say it's important."

"How important could it be?" Hope replied. "I'm busy enough trying to get enough vaporators and desalination plants running, and I'm trying to get that spaceport in Uzo finished by the end of the decade. Sophia City's facing an imminent disaster with that poison gas surrounding it, Oputa's nothing more than a collection of Quonset huts and a public toilet in its town square, and that new colony... what was its name? Pizza?"

"Piata, Sir."

"Piata, yes. They're already demanding that we build a spaceport there, too! Four houses and a road in the middle of nowhere, and they want a spaceport... I'm doing my best to get everyone on Motavia enough food and water to live, but... everyone just wants these _luxuries!_Sometimes I think it's just for the best if I just tell LaShiec, 'It's YOUR mess now, Pal!'"

The door flew open. A blue-haired woman in a business suit approached the governor, her eyes narrowed in anger, as she told him, "Sir, don't say that! You know he'll just crush this planet just like he's crushing Palma!"

"I know, Athena, I know," Hope replied. "It's just... It's hard, trying to figure out what's best for Motavia. If I just decide arbitrarily, I'll just turn into another LaShiec."

"See? You already know that's what Motavia doesn't need right now," Athena said, the anger leaving her face as she smiled. "Again, I apologize for bothering you, Governor, but your visitors are still waiting. They brought the password."

"The password?" Hope asked, confused. "I have a password?"

From the other side of his door, a pale hand reached into view, balancing a small plate. Sitting on the plate was a slice of yellow cake, decorated with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry. A sly masculine voice whispered, "Hold it higher, Lutz! I don't think he can see it!"

"I'm holding it as high as I can..."

Hope chuckled, recognizing the two voices. "Ah. I suppose I can accommodate my visitors for a few minutes, then," he told Athena. "Send them in, please... and collect the password."

"As you wish, Sir."

Athena walked to the threshold of the office, retrieved the plate from Lutz's hand, then set it on the desk in front of the governor. "Shall I send them in now, or in two minutes?"

"Now would be fine, Athena," Hope said, eyeing the shortcake. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, Governor," Athena replied. She headed out of the office, then spoke to Lutz for a second, pointing him towards the office. Once she left, the other door opened, revealing Lutz, Tairon, and Myau.

"Hope, forgive me for saying so," Tairon said, "But you need a better security system than me bribing the secretary!"

"Don't you know how expensive shortcake is these days?" Myau added.

"Forgive me, gentlemen, but it's necessary in these times." Hope blinked, then looked at the group of three. "Miss Landale isn't with you. Has something happened to her?"

"Err..." Tairon and Lutz looked at each other uneasily, before Lutz replied, "You could say that, Governor. When we fought LaShiec, he-"

"He brainwashed Alisa, and now she's his queen!" Myau blurted out. Tairon groaned and slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead, wincing, as Lutz sweatdropped.

"What?" Hope replied, surprised. "When did this happen! Why wasn't I told?"

"We fought LaShiec two days ago," Lutz said. "The announcement was made yesterday over every television channel on Palma..."

"And nobody saw fit to tell me? How am I supposed to know what's going on when nobody tells me what's happening on Palma and Dezolis?"

_Maybe if you weren't stuffing your face full of shortcake,_ Tairon thought.

"And there's more, Governor," Lutz added before Myau could voice Tairon's thought. "We suspect your life might be in danger."

"Danger? How so?"

"Dammit, man! Put two and two together!" Myau said, leaping onto Hope's desk. His hairs bristled beneath his blanket as he continued, "LaShiec has robots! Alisa knows you hate LaShiec! LaShiec has Alisa, probably in more ways than one! LaShiec knows Alisa knows you hate LaShiec! LaShiec sends some robots! You have a robot problem! Honestly, how dense can some Palmans be?"

"That... that'll do, Myau," Tairon replied, stunned. "Thanks, I think."

"Not a problem!"

Hope scratched his chin, his brow burrowing in thought. "I see," he said after a while. "This is serious news, then. If they intend to take care of me, then... AndroCops. More than likely, that's what LaShiec will send."

"Probably. I don't know if your own guards will be able to handle them," Tairon replied. "You should probably hide, Hope."

"Nonsense." Hope sighed, then looked Tairon in the eyes. "If I run from LaShiec's robots, then that just opens the gates to his rule. He'll start imposing his rules, sending more robots, building more prisons... No, Tairon. I can't, and won't, condone that."

"Very brave. But what do you plan on doing?"

"Tairon, I have an idea," Lutz said suddenly. "If I'm right, it should get you out of harm's way for now..."

* * *

The town of Eppi, hidden deep within its namesake forest, was at ease. One of the hubs of the rebellion against LaShiec, the villagers had, several months ago, helped Alisa out by getting her in contact with Governor Hope. They had told her of Doctor Luveno, and the skeleton key Hasim, the village's leader, had hidden in Camineet. Their information had also led her to the Espers of Motavia, where she had met Lutz and Tajima.

They were about to be repaid for their kindness and aid.

There was no warning, no signs of trouble-the robots had descended upon the village like a swarm of locusts, support fighters close behind them, swooping in for the kill.

Shots rang out, swords sung as they struck against the Polezis sent to take care of the forest village. Up above, lasers flickered to life and bombs were dropped, as the robots, shouting battle cries and demands to surrender, went for their laser rifles.

The smoke from the village could be seen from Camineet.

"Mama! Mama!" A pink-haired woman, sitting on the roof of her house, called down to her mother. "Something's going on in Eppi Forest!"

"What? What are you talking about, Rainy?" Suelo asked, peeking her head out a window. "Oh, my God... Arturo! Cutruss! Come to the window!"

"What's wrong? Suelo, is everything okay?" Rainy heard her father asking.

"Did Rainy electrocute herself getting us free HD again?" Cutruss asked. There was a dull thud from inside the house, then the two men joined Suelo at the window.

"Why's the forest burning?" Arturo asked. "Campers?"

"No... look at those red dots," Cutruss replied. "See those? They're fighters. I think there's some criminals in the woods."

"But that many fighters?" Suelo wondered. "They have to be against LaShiec... Oh, no. One of them's starting to turn around."

Rainy glanced at the horizon, her green eyes widening as she saw one of the red dots starting to turn towards Camineet. Three more of the fighters descended into the massive column of smoke pouring from Eppi. She heard her mother say, "Rainy, everyone. You know that abandoned warehouse at the outskirts of town?"

"Of course. Comin' down, Mama!"

Rainy grabbed the edge of the house, then swung herself inside through the window, nearly knocking her brother down. "I'm there a few days a week, scavenging spare parts. What's up?"

"Arturo, get Janey," Suelo said. "Meet me at the warehouse in twenty minutes. Cutruss, Rainy, get the emergency kit from the basement, and all the insta-ramen. I'll get as much of the canned stuff as I can- we'll have to hide out there for a while..."

* * *

Two hours later, at the Castle in the Sky, LaShiec and Alisa smiled as one of their robots described the details of the raid on Eppi. "Hundreds dead, Majesties," it said, its voice emotionless, "And hundreds more captured. Some fled, but my subordinates are hunting them as we speak."

"Excellent work, Commander!" LaShiec said. "We'll put in a good word for you at R&D to have your combat AI upgraded!"

"AI upgrade? You mean..."

"That's right, robot," Alisa interrupted. "You'll be a captain with a day or two."

"Oh, I'm so happy! I can finally get that loose wire in my left calf repaired!" If it was capable of expressing emotion, the Polezi would have been beaming with pride and waterfall tears.

"We'll see to that as well, Commander. Dismissed!"

Once the robot left the throne room, LaShiec turned to Alisa, hints of smiles on their faces. "Well, Alisa, my love, you provided us quite the catch. The rebels are hamstrung."

"As they deserve to be, Reipard," Alisa sighed, settling in LaShiec's arms. She smiled slightly as his arms tightened around her body.

"Now, the big question, Alisa... what should we do with the captives?"

"Hrrm... very good question, my love." Alisa looked into LaShiec's eyes for a few seconds, then said, "Have the robots interrogate them as to other rebels. When we're finished with the rabble..." Her lips suddenly pulled into a seductive smile as she whispered, "Have them executed, Reipard. Publicly. Run their blood into the sewers of Algo with the rest of the trash, and throw the bodies into Kueri."

"You know, Alisa, that's a very good idea," LaShiec said. Starting at her chin, LaShiec traced a line up Alisa's cheek with his finger, stopping at the corner of her mouth. "But, that seems a bit... wasteful, don't you think?"

"The rebels are waste."

"True, Alisa dearest, that is true..." He smiled, then tapped Alisa's lips with his finger. "Yes. Let's have them killed. But... I have another idea. One I think will satisfy you, Alisa, my dear."

"Oh?" Alisa asked, amused. "What did you have in mind?"

"You shall see, Alisa..." Taking an arm from around Alisa, LaShiec pressed a button on his throne's armrest. There was a short beep, then LaShiec said, "Send him in."

Seconds passed, and a tall man entered the throne room. A gas mask was strapped to his face, and a tattered and stained lab coat clung loosely to him as he strode towards the throne.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeees, Your Majesty?" he asked, his voice a high-pitched wild shriek. "How can my eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil research benefit you-" Immediately, he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Alisa, sitting in LaShiec's lap. Pointing at her, he screamed, "You! I've seen you before!"

"I've seen **you** before!" Alisa replied, leaping from LaShiec's lap. Fiercely drawing her sword, she demanded, "How did you survive!"

"Aaah, you _thought_ you killed me climbing Baya Mahlay, but!" He coughed terribly, and the man was heard hocking up bile and phlegm beneath his mask. He swallowed the mess with an effort, then continued, "You failed to take into account my auto-resuscitation vest! It restarted my heart and kickstarted my brain after you stabbed me, girlie!"

Alisa took a step towards the man. "Watch who you call 'girlie,' scum," she said, her voice firm.

"I think you need a taste of..." He moved his coat back, revealing a belt buckle covered in circuit boards and freezer tape. "My newest innovation! The PoCkEt RoCkEt Mark III! (He pronounced it "Triple I.") Prepare to get blown to bits by my technological genius!"

"Doctor, that is enough!" LaShiec rose from his throne, his staff already in his hand. "Alisa, my dear, I take it you and the good Doctor Mad have already been aquainted?"

"We have," Alisa spat, staring down the doctor. "Twice."

"She ruined my experimentations on Musk Cats, and then she raided my Baya Mahlay workshop!" Doctor Mad protested. "Hours of work, down the drain because Little Miss Girly She-Warrior felt like going on a killing spree!"

"I said 'Enough,' Doctor," LaShiec grumbled. "Doctor Mad, please, show some respect for your queen."

"What the fucking F? Your queen, Kingie?"

"Mm-hmm." Alisa sheathed her Laconia sword, then crossed her arms and smirked at the Doctor. "Which means you do what Reipard or I tell you to do."

"Well, craps." He coughed again, then asked, "So, LaShiec, what can Mad do for you? Got any Musk Cats you want experimentationed on? Toaster constantly burning your bride's toast? TV antenna need a bit of tin foil?"

"Well, Doctor, it's about a couple hundred visitors we're gonna have from Eppi Forest," LaShiec said.

"Prisoners? Why, LaShiec, Kingie, have I got the thing for you!" Grininng beneath his mask, Doctor Mad pulled a haphazardly wired remote control from his pants pocket, then said, "_This_ little sucker I call the Super Killer! Just push this button, and it injects potent truth serum into your prisoner! When you're done interrogating them, you've got this button-" He pointed at a button marked "LAME," saying, "Which sets 'em free. Boooooor-ing! So, I've got the FUN button!"

Doctor Mad pointed at a third button on the remote, simply marked "=D". The doctor explained, "Just push this button, and ten seconds later, your prisoner's brain explodes like an overripe watermelon! Get a maid to clean it all up, and I'll have it experimented on and converted to fully automatic in no time!"

Alisa sweatdropped, and LaShiec asked, "Doctor, two questions. First, **what the **_**hell**_** are you talking about?** Second, no, I don't think that's what I need. How much do you know about the robot cops?"

"Ah, the Polezi and AndroCop models!" Doctor Mad rubbed his hands. "Just give me a few hundred thousand more Meseta, and four months, and I'll have that Polezi/DX model prototyped for you! And by 'four months' I mean 'one day to slap it together half-assed and the rest of the time to play Tetris!' But I'll be damned if I'm telling you two that!"

"That... won't be necessary," LaShiec continued. "How about Plan C I asked you about last year?"

"Oh, you want Plan C! Queenie, why didn't Kingie say something before? Plan C, I can do for you! Got the tools and stuff in my lab!"

"Very good. When the prisoners arrive, I'll have them shipped to you directly."

"Faaaaaantastic!" Doctor Mad pumped his fist, then turned to leave the throne room. "I've always wanted to experimentation on people! Smell ya later!"

The doctor had left, but his stench lingered in the throne room for a few seconds. "Reipard?" Alisa asked. "What exactly is Plan C?"

"Ah, Plan C. Alisa, my love, Plan C is..." He whispered the plan to her, making sure to stress what exactly would happen to the prisoners. Once he finished, he asked, "I take it you approve, Alisa?"

"Oh, Reipard..." Alisa embraced LaShiec, then kissed him passionately. "I _love_ you when you're so cruel to those rebel scum!"

"As they deserve to be," LaShiec replied. "After all, you're right. They deserve to be treated exactly as the trash they are."

* * *

"Aaaaallllll righty!" Cracking his knuckles, Doctor Mad inspected his first "patient," a dark-haired man dressed in camouflage. "LaShiec and his new queen have special plans for you, though I wouldn't trust someone who wears the exact shade of lipstick his wife wears! Either he decided today was a great day to start wearing makeup, or he and Alisa got biiiiz-zaaaay last night! But when she's got a great bouncy rack like that-"

"Shut up," the prisoner replied.

"Oh, smile, damn you! It's your last chance, anyway!" Doctor Mad scratched his armpit, then took a jaw spreader from a tray covered in paper towels. Scratching himself with the spreader, he shoved it into the prisoner's mouth, forcing it open. "Now then! To brass tacks!" he continued. Taking a rusted, stained pizza wheel from the tray, the doctor continued, "Now, this won't hurt a bit, until I jam this down your throa... oh, why lie to you? This is gonna hurt a lot, this is gonna hurt like hell, and it's gonna hurt even _worse_ once I start operating on you!"

Doctor Mad pulled the tray closer to him. In his free hand, he took an old power drill, setting a sharp drill bit into it. "Time for this art/military science project to get underway!" he shouted.

* * *

"Governor? There are four AndroCops here to see you."

Governor Hope looked at Lutz, who was now dressed in a blue suit. "I imagine LaShiec sent them, Noah?" he asked.

"That's what they claim." Lowering his voice, he said, "Be careful, Governor. And get ready."

"Myau's under the desk," Hope replied, his voice also low. Out loud, he said, "Send them in."

Lutz nodded, then opened the door for the robots. The four marched in, one of them shouting, "Governor Hope!"

"Yes? What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Lord Reipard and Lady Alisa LaShiec have sent this squadron, Governor. They wish to know why his percentage of taxes, levied from the first of January to the thirtieth of May, AW 342, have not arrived at the royal treasury."

Raising an eyebrow, Hope said, "Haven't arrived? That's odd, Commander. I swear I sent the letters of credit to Lord LaShiec. Certified mail."

"Lord LaShiec has received no such letter or payment. He demands to know where the sum of two million Meseta is."

"I'm telling you, I sent him his fair share," Hope protested. "Perhaps the courier stole it?"

"If that were true, we would not be having this conversation," the robot intoned. Its visor turned red as it continued, "Final warning: Where is the tax money due Lord LaShiec?"

"It's been sent, I swear to God, Commander!"

"He is obviously lying," one of the robots reported. "Voice stress has increased since the conversation began."

"Confirmed. Governor Jonathan Hope, you are now under arrest as per the authority granted me by the rulers of Algo, Reipard and Alisa LaShiec. Do you wish to go quietly?"

"I will not go quietly!" Hope shouted. "LaShiec got his money, robots! Check the royal treasury!"

"Request acknowledged. Prepare to die."

The robots raised their rifles, preparing to blast Governor Hope into infinity. Just as they started to fire, Myau leapt from behind the desk, magical energy charged around his body.

"**Gi Brose!**"

From behind the office doors, Tairon leapt from his hiding spot, leveling a laser rifle of his own at the robots' commander.

And Lutz tore his suit away, revealing his Frade mantle. He held his hands outward, crying out "**Gi Flaeli!**"

The magical energy from both spells combined immediately, starting to swell and pulse. Both Myau and Lutz shouted "Collabo Magic...**EXPLOSION!**" as the arcane energy gave one last surge, before erupting into a red and white sphere.

_End of Part Four_

What do LaShiec and Alisa plan for the prisoners of Eppi? What is Doctor Mad's Plan C? Will Suelo and her family be safe hiding in Camineet? And will there be any survivors of the Collabo Explosion?


	6. Chapter 5: Onwards

**Part Five: Onwards**  
Originally published on Fringes July 31, 2008.

(Governor Hope's mansion, High District of Paseo)

There was the sound of a loud thunderclap, followed by a wave of pressure suddenly erupting from the Governor's office, toppling chairs and sending desks and paperwork scattering across the reception area. The wave carried with it pieces of the AndroCops, sundered from their frames by the sheer force of the Explosion Collabo.

One of the robots was entirely annihilated, the second smashed upon the ground, muttering "Why was I programmed to feel pain?" The third robot had its laser rifle, along with both of its arms, ripped away, while the group's leader was lying on the ground, bracing its own rifle on its severed legs.

Tairon took advantage of the opportunity, and fired at the lead robot. The blue lance of energy tore through its head, and the machine slumped to the ground with a whine of circuits and motors. Pivoting on his feet, Tairon squeezed out another shot, burning through the robot without arms. It sank to its artificial knees, screaming, before finally shutting down.

"Well, then," Tairon said, putting his rifle away. "That takes care of your robot problem, Hope. You're welcome, by the way."

"Why, Lord LaShiec? I'm leaking oil rapidly... will I dream?"

Peeking out from behind his slightly-burned desk, Governor Hope looked at the mutilated robots, asking, "Oh... err, could you shut that one up, actually? It's starting to get really uncanny-valley with those screams."

With a sigh, Tairon approached the robot. Now completely out of its mind, it turned towards the warrior, its optics unfocussed. "D... Dave?" it asked, confused. "Is that you? Will I dream, Dave?"

"Be careful, Tairon," Lutz whispered. "It might be one last trick."

"Err... uhh... my... I don't quite know?"

Sighing mechanically, the wounded robot slurred, "I see... I have a song... would you like me... to sing... it for... you...?"

Finally having enough of the AndroCop's strange musings, Tairon lifted his foot, then swiftly brought his rifle's butt down on the robot's head, caving it in with a loud crunch. Withdrawing his weapon from the crushed head, Tairon asked, "So, uh, Hope... what was that all about?"

"Probably corrupted data- their logic circuits get quite confused when damaged-"

"I meant the robots! Hope, just how much tax money were you holding LaShiec out on?" Tairon demanded.

Sweatdropping, the governor replied, "Well, that two million it mentioned... that... wasn't entirely accurate. It's..." He sighed. "It's six million Meseta."

"Six million?" Lutz asked. "And LaShiec only asked for two?"

"Well, the vast majority of those taxes went back into helping Motavia flourish- getting a decent hospital built in Oputa, some farmland readied, desalination plants built and maintained- keeping this rock survivable costs a great deal of money, you understand. I think LaShiec realized he was never going to see most of what he had due, and decided to just hedge his losses."

Raising an eyebrow, Myau asked Hope, "So, where'd the other two million go?"

"First Bank of Algo, Camineet Branch," the governor replied, smiling. "Hide it in plain sight from LaShiec, and use it to discretely fund the movement against him."

"So, that's why most of us were able to get some decent food," Tairon realized. "Along with some necessities... you were sending us money!"

"Me and half a dozen other interests on Palma," Hope told him. "A lot of people want LaShiec dead, you know."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a brief minute, then Myau leapt on what was left of the governor's desk. "Well, sorry to interrupt the nice little reunion, but we've gotta get going," he said. "We've got business with Lutz's old master!"

"Tajima, right?" Hope asked. Seeing Lutz nod, he continued, "Well then, I wish you three well. Hopefully you'll be able to defeat LaShiec and rescue Alisa."

"That we will," Tairon said. "We'll be seeing you!"

Once the three left his office, Hope approached the double doors, peeking out. "Athena, is everyone all right?" he asked.

"We're fine, thank you, Sir," the blue-haired secretary replied. "Maintenance is on their way up."

"Good, good. Athena, have them salvage what they could from these robots, please."

"Certainly, Sir, but..." Athena looked at the remains of the AndroCops. "We have enough spare parts for your own robot guards."

"I know that. They're not for the guards." He held up his radio, charred black from the Collabo and subsequent gun battle. "My radio broke."

* * *

Once outside, the group of three walked towards Paseo's city gate, where their Land Rover was eagerly waiting for them. Once they had inspected the vehicle's tracks for any sign of damage, Tairon and Lutz thanked the spaceport valets, then boarded the rover. Myau bounded up the entry ramp, sticking close to Tairon as he asked, "They didn't take it for a joyride, did they?"

"Not this time, I think," Tairon replied. "Either it really was waiting for us here, or they did a better job cleaning the sand out."

"Don't you remember what happened last time, Myau?" Lutz asked, sitting in one of the Land Rover's seats. "Alisa had to pull you off that poor valet's face."

"Hey, he _deserved_ those scratches!"

Tairon sighed heavily as he started the Land Rover up. Immediately, he blasted its air conditioning full-force. "Well, at least the A/C still works," he grumbled. To his companions, he asked, "So, Lutz, did Tajima move around since our last visit?"

"No- he's always lived in that same cave, as far back as I can recall," Lutz replied. "East of the antlion pits."

"All right, then!" Tairon adjusted the Land Rover, then stepped on the gas pedal. "We'll be there in no time!"

* * *

"Zwaaaahahahaha!" Doctor Mad rubbed his hands together in glee, grinning like a hangman as he viewed his patient. Pieces of circuitry and armor were haphazardly glued and screwed into the trunk of his body, and a gas mask similar to the doctor's was nailed to his face. He groaned in agony as Doctor Mad continued, "Now, with the super secret combination of laconia, my good friends at the local power tool company, and eleven secret herbs and spices, I'll just flip this switch... and make my creation LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"

The doctor threw a massive switch mounted to the wall, sending arcs of electricity coursing through the patient. He screamed and cried out, convulsing in pain, the mad doctor laughing all the while. Finally, the doctor flipped the switch into its off position, then shouted, "Now, rise, my experimentation! RISE!"

With a groan, the patient started to rise from the gurney he was strapped to, the stench of charred flesh and blood pouring from his body. Seconds after he sat up, he grumbled, then fell backwards onto the gurney, sighing once.

"Awwwww, _craps!_"

Nervously, Doctor Mad pushed a button beneath the massive power switch. "LaShiec! I fouled it up again!" he shouted. "Patient ate it!"

"_Again?_" LaShiec's voice asked in irritation from an intercom speaker. "_How many times was this, Doctor?_"

"Hmm... this guy, the girl whose eyes melted, the first one who twisted his own head off because I didn't get the programming right... " He counted a pile of bodies haphazardly shoved into one corner of the laboratory, then replied, "Six. I think. I stopped counting after the one guy who was all like 'Oh Gaaaaaaaaawd my brain' and just started punching himself to death, Kingie. I was too busy laughing my ass off! It was really funny-"

"_Doctor, I cannot, for the life of me, begin to imagine why my wife thinks you're a sick psychotic freak,_" LaShiec replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "_Will your work be done by the end of today, or are you just invoking Plan C to inflict as much needless pain and suffering as you can?_"

"Ya know, Kingie, I cannot tell a lie, but I shall anyway!" Doctor Mad paused uneasily, then asked, "...Yes?"

"_Just get a stable prototype ready, Doctor,_" LaShiec ordered. "_Call me when you're ready._"

"Aye-aye, Keptin!"

A loud buzzer sounded throughout the lab, and a black-haired man was shunted in. Two Polezis took the dead man off the gurney and threw the corpse into the pile with the others. As they strapped the new arrival into the gurney, Doctor Mad cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Now, then," he said to the patient, "I _think_ I know where I went wrong last time! I gotta start with the brain!"

"What are you gonna do to me, you sick freak!" the patient demanded.

"Oh, just a little thinkaroonie I came up with LaShiec." The doctor coughed beneath his gas mask, then continued, "We call it Plan C. C being for 'cyborg.' And by that, I mean I'm going to-"

"Do unspeakable acts to me, all in the name of 'science,'" the patient said.

"Naaaaah! More like turn you and your friends from Eppi into laconia-plated, cybernetic, arm-cannon wired reprogrammed sins against God and country! Doesn't that sound just peachy-keen! ^_^"

"You monster..."

"Naaah, the dragons and the Winged Eyes are monsters! I'm the doctor, and you, good sir..." Once again, he picked up the pizza wheel. With his free hand, Doctor Mad shoved a ballgag into the patient's mouth. He sneezed, then continued, "You, sir, are getting formally drafted into LaShiec and Alisa's robot army!"

* * *

As they sat in their throne room, Alisa asked, "Just what is that retard of a 'scientist' doing to the prisoners?"

"He keeps screwing up and getting them killed on the table, my dear," LaShiec told her. "Nothing you should worry your pretty mind about."

"A shame, Reipard... I would have _loved_ to have seen that first prisoner tear his own head off." Alisa sighed wistfully, then looked down at the red-haired woman attending her. "Might have been your brother, your boyfriend... maybe your father, hmm?"

"My Queen, please try not to move your hand," the woman replied. "It's hard to manicure your nails if your hand moves."

"Who gives the orders around here? You, or me?"

"You, Your Majesty," the woman sighed.

With a cruel laugh, Alisa looked down at the woman and said, "That's right. Do a good enough job, and maybe you'll actually get paid for your services."

As she continued to give Alisa a manicure, the woman asked, "Payment, my Queen? I... I'm flattered..." Her dark blue eyes sparkled as she imagined the amount of Meseta she could get from the rulers of Algo.

"Of course. Some payment is due you, after all," LaShiec told her. "Tell her, Alisa, my dear."

"It gets one Meseta." She raised her nose, then continued, "And it'll pretend to be happy with even that, lest she wish to wind up with the rest of her friends from Eppi."

"...No, my Queen," the manicurist said, her voice and expression noticeably softening.

"And then, there's the matter of taxes, too," LaShiec said. "Thirty percent to the royal treasury... why, Alisa, all that woman's going to get is seventy mill! That's not even enough to buy a pack of gum these days!"

"You're right, Reipard," Alisa said, her voice filled with mock concern. "I guess we shouldn't pay her at all, then?"

"Of course not- nobody can live on seventy mill, Alisa!"

There was a sudden, soft crack, then the woman stammered, "I... I apologize, my Queen! The file slipped, and-"

"You... you broke my nail!" Alisa shrieked. She pushed the woman away, then drew her sword. "Regicide!"

"It was an accident, my Queen! Please, believe me!"

"I have no reason not to disbelieve my wife," LaShiec told the poor woman. "This incident happened right after we told you that you would not be paid... it is more than a simple coincidence."

"It was just an accident, my King!" She was in tears, cowering before Alisa and LaShiec.

"It was a deliberate attempt," Alisa told her, raising the sword.

"And traitors to the crown... must die!" LaShiec grinned menacingly at the woman. She shrieked as Alisa thrust forward with the sword, sending its laconia blade clean through the woman's chest. She gurgled and gasped as the sword tore through her back, then started gasping for breath as Alisa yanked the sword out of her body.

"...my... majesties..." she gurgled, blood pooling beneath her.

Alisa approached the woman, sheathing her sword. Looking down her nose at the dying woman, she raised her hand, then pressed it to the woman's chest, saying, "**Heal.**"

Immediately, the wounds from the sword started to scab over, sealing shut in a matter of seconds. Still weak and in pain, the woman murmured, "Thank you, my queen."

"Reipard, my love?" Alisa asked. "I think we have a use for this traitor after all."

"Plan C, Alisa, my heart?"

The woman's eyes widened in shock and horror. Immediately, she started wishing she had been killed. Instead, she only crawled weakly away from Alisa, begging, "No... please, my lieges, no..."

"Why, yes, my love. Sometimes, I swear, Reipard... you can read my mind!"

LaShiec snapped his fingers, and two robots strode into the throne room, picking the injured woman up. Alisa held her hand up to the girl, then smirked as she said, "This is how you do a _real_ manicure, little girl. **Heal.**" Before her eyes, Alisa's broken nail reformed itself, then polished itself dark red. To the Polezis, she then said, "Get this _thing_ out of our sight. And get this blood cleaned up."

"At once, Your Majesty."

The two robots then left, dragging the woman with them. Alisa put her glove back on, then smiled as LaShiec embraced her from behind. "Are you all right, my dear?" he asked.

"I'm fine, now that you're here, Reipard," Alisa cooed. She turned around, then embraced her husband, smiling as she felt his kisses upon her lips. "No more threats to our lives."

"None at all."

Alisa giggled as LaShiec played with her Hell Crown, then she sighed as she looked at where she stabbed the woman. "There's still one slight problem, my love," she told LaShiec.

"Anything that troubles you troubles me as well, Alisa. What's wrong?"

"That damn rebel got blood on my dress."

* * *

The Land Rover blazed through the vast Motavian desert, bounding over sand dunes and outcroppings of rock as it headed towards Tajima's cave. To its occupants, the scenery never changes -always another rock, cactus, or uninteresting salt flat in the distance.

"I'm bored!" Myau shouted, looking out one of the portholes. "When are we gonna get there!"

"Same time as last time, Myau," Tairon replied. "About an hour or so."

"I apologize. Master Tajima always enjoyed living a bit... out of the way."

"Well, he could have at least gotten a summer house or something, Lutz!" Myau groaned. "A nice little place by Sophia or Paseo, you know?"

Lutz sweatdropped. "The cave _is_ his summer house, Myau," he said. "And it is a very nice cave..."

"Oh, never mind."

Tairon steered the Land Rover around a large rock, then told Myau, "Don't worry, lil' buddy. We'll be there soon, and I'm sure Tajima's got more of those Motavian snappers you love so much."

"Get us to that cave, Ensign!" Myau said, his eyes sparkling with the thought of tasty fish. "Maximum war-"

There was a loud bang as the Land Rover suddenly shook violently. Tairon struggled to keep in control as Lutz and Myau bounced around violently.

After a minute, the shuddering and rolling stopped. Tairon asked, "You guys okay?"

"I'm fine," Myau replied.

"I as well. What happened, Tairon?"

Tairon rose from his seat. "Not a clue," he said. "Let me go check."

The boarding ramp was lowered, and Tairon stepped out. Looking into the distance, he saw a small black dot in the sand, followed by a series of impressions where the Land Rover had been bucked and rolled. The massive left front tire had rolled away, settling down a few hundred feet in front of the machine.

"Land mine," he told his companions. "Knocked the tire off. Let me go get it back."

Once he had taken a few steps away from the vehicle, Tairon took a look at its hull. He sighed with relief when he saw it was merely dented- the most severe damage was the lost tire. He turned back around-

-and found himself face-to-face with the muzzle of a needle gun. A blue-furred, birdlike humanoid stared at him, his beak curled into a smile.

"Aaah, Palma people," he said, advancing towards Tairon. "Do not move."

"You know, if this is a robbery, it's a rather poor one. My friends can easily stop you."

"Your friends?" the Motavian asked. "The Palma person and the Dezo cat over yonder?" He motioned with the pistol, and Tairon turned around. He groaned when he saw four more Motavians leading Lutz and Myau out of the Land Rover.

"...Yeah. Those would be them," he said, sweatdropping.

"Now then... to the mugging and salvaging, by jove," he heard the Motavian say. "Give all your shiny Meseta and foodstuffs and weapons, and jovial as bivalve mollusk we Mota people shall be. Otherwise, we Mota people is getting to be upset and firing the deadly weapons, yes?"

_End of Part Five_

How will Lutz, Tairon, and Myau escape from the Motavian raiders? Will Tajima be able to help them? How will Doctor Mad's Plan C cyborgs affect the covert war against LaShiec?


End file.
